The digital national ID project that targets over 90 million people received a 350 million dollar World Bank boost last week. Around 50 million dollars is a grant through the International Development Association (IDA) for the Host communities and Refugees. Ethiopia is the third largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, home to close to a million refugees and asylum seekers—mainly from South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea. The project under the World Bank headlined digital ID for inclusion and services, supports voluntary registration and ID issuance across the country. The development of secure and energy-efficient ICT infrastructure, the establishment of a personal data protection Commission and the digital transformation of public and private sector services that integrate with Fayda. Established through the Digital ID Proclamation passed in March 2023, the new system has been under a project office headed by Yodahe Araya, which has issued IDs to 3.1 million residents. Ousmane Dione, country director for Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan and Sudan, suggested the expansion of economic opportunities through the transformative capabilities of the digital ID. He said that providing universally accessible proof of legal identity will commence transformative potential in Ethiopia’s peace dividends.
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